Bond Betrayed

So I've spent most of last week alternating between panic and denial as I was coming to terms with my newest release. Panic because this is my first ever erotic romance and denial because it all happened so fast it's hard for me to believe it's actually almost release time!  Okay, the story didn't happen quickly. This particular story is actually the one I've spent the most time on but it went from acceptance to edits to release in record time. Record time for me, at least.

But, now that I'm finally starting to come to terms with its release, I find I'm experiencing a new emotion-excitement! I mean, not like 'new in my life' emotion. I'm human, I've been excited before about other things. But now I'm starting to get really excited about people reading this book. Yes, it's nerve-racking. So much so, I just had to google if it was nerve-racking or nerve-wracking. Yep, that's my state of mind right now. But if I didn't love the story so much, I wouldn't be so nervous. And that I'm this nervous tells me how much I really do love this story. 

Just like being a parent, I don't think authors are supposed to pick a favorite book. It's not fair to their other books, right? And I could never pick a favorite between my two children, but (and please don't tell my other stories) I think this story actually is my favorite. Should I feel guilty about that? I'm undecided. 

Why is it my favorite? It's simple really, this book is exactly as I wanted it. I refused to think about my mom's reaction or my ex-boyfriend's condescending comments or even about the shocked expressions of my RL friends as they read it and I just wrote. I felt I owed it to the characters. They're just so strong and real in my head that I couldn't tell Nikki to cover up as she pranced around Isaac's kitchen in nothing more than his button down shirt and a pair of panties. I couldn't even make her feel shame when other people saw her in nothing but the skimpy ensemble. And I most certainly couldn't force Isaac to hide his cuffs. She's a seductress and he's an enforcer. If she didn't seduce and he didn't enjoy a woman in cuffs, they wouldn't be themselves. If I ignored their personalities, I would be doing a great disservice to them. 

So I embraced not only them, but their story. And so, without further ado, here's the blurb:

Isaac Marrow doesn’t care that Nikki Rathe is a seductress. She’s the only member of the Community who can help him get his sister Molly back from Nikki’s father, who holds the rest of their kind under his spell. But he doesn’t expect her to help willingly. Instead, he tricks her into giving up her blood, bonding her to him in an effort to compel her support. 

Nikki could have told Isaac that bonding himself to a seductress was a foolish move, but he never asked. Now, a powerful lust ties them together, driving them both mad. Isaac is hot, but the desire is a distraction she doesn’t need. Nikki wants to free Molly and bring down her father just as much as Isaac, if not more. The Community banished her as a child while letting her power-hungry father grow stronger. But Isaac’s betrayal of her trust can’t go unpunished. And a seductress can deliver a powerful punishment.

All this week I'm going to be counting down to the release and on Wed, November 7th (release day) I'm going to be giving away a digital copy to a commenter so keep stopping by!  Maybe I'll even release a video of me doing my happy dance. I know I'll be doing it all day Wednesday :)

  

Chicken Sliders

I made these last night and, after requests for the recipe, I decided to share.

Ingredients:

2lbs. Ground Chicken
3Tbs  Southwestern seasoning spice mix
2Tbs Garlic Salt
Dried minced onion
1 Med Onion
Mushrooms sliced and washed
1 container HEB (store brand) Pineapple Pico de Gallo
Jalapeño mustard
6 slices of cheese (optional)
Slider buns

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Spray 9x13 cooking sheet (make sure sheet has enough depth to hold grease on the sheet as chicken cooks) or casserole dish with non-stick spray (I use Pam) and then sprinkle the bottom with a thin layer of dried minced onion.

In a mixing bowl combine chicken, southwest spice, and garlic salt.  When combined pat the mixture into an even level in the the 9x13 dish,

Cook at 400 degrees for 25 min.  After 25 min, remove dish from oven and place sliced cheese on the chicken (optional) then place back in oven for 5 min or until cheese is melted and chicken is cooked through. Note:  I used pepper-jack cheese, but you can use whatever cheese sounds good to you as long as it's a cheese that melts smoothly.

While that is cooking, slice onion and separate rings.  Spread the rings on a different cooking sheet and then spread mushrooms on top of onions.  Drizzle onions and mushrooms with a light coating of Olive Oil and garlic salt.  Place in oven at 400 degrees for 25 min or until onions caramelize 

Slice the chicken into about 12 evenly sized squares.  Place on slider bun and then top with the onion-mushroom mix, pineapple pico de gallo, and jalapeño mustard.

I’m So Damn Tired

Every day I open my netbook and I log on Twitter or Facebook or one of the countless news organizations out there and every day (it seems recently) I find some new news article designed to piss me off. First it was the birth control debate. Then it was the stupid ‘joke’ about aspirin as an effective birth control. Then it was Rush’s response to the birth control debate.

- I must admit, by the time this happened, I was kind of numb and apathetic to the whole thing. One can only handle so much hatred and vitriol being spewed at you simply because of your gender.

But it got even better, ‘cause then Arizona stepped up to the plate with a proposed law designed to protect doctors from ‘wrongful birth’ lawsuits. (Click 'Arizona' to go to Huffington Post article about the law) Now, I believe a doctor has the RIGHT to choose with procedures he/she is willing to and comfortable performing. If a doctor has religious beliefs that prevent him from performing an abortion, for instance, I believe the government shouldn’t be allowed to pass laws to force them to. But to withhold information from a patient (specifically a female patient because males can’t get pregnant) because that information might make an abortion more likely? And information that could be life saving to the mother, nonetheless? That’s where you’re crossing the line. Why should my doctor’s rights and beliefs carry more weight than mine? It’s my body, my life. And why is it always females under attack? Why are there no condescending reproduction laws aimed at men? Not that I want them to start making them. The only thing worse than the current attack of females is the tit for tat game.

But it’s all left me angry and frustrated that I have to keep explaining why I’m angry to people.

Here’s the thing, I like being a girl. Actually, I love being a girl. Don’t get me wrong, I love the men out there. I’m happily married and have two boys. But I wouldn’t want to be a man for all the gold in Spain. So I don’t understand why it is that so many people hate women—hate me just for being a woman. I have my college degree, earned it while waitressing tables at a pizza place to support myself, so why do so many people think I’m incapable of making decisions about my health and body? And (here’s the kicker) because I’m female, am I supposed to hate sex?

I don’t want special treatment. I just want to be treated like a human.

P.S. I vote.

Life, Love, and Writing

So it's been a long time since I've posted. A really long time. And I don't have a solid reason. Just with releases and new stories, my blog got away from me.

The three minute catch up: My first ever novel, Ravenborne, was released August 23rd from Samhain and will be out in print this coming July. July the third. Yay!! This was a huge accomplishment for me. But, this post wasn't meant to be promo.

My big news is I've actually pick up the sequel to Ink in the Blood and am finishing it. I must admit, I love my fantasy world but I love Ink's world just a tiny bit more. I think my ties to it are stronger. It's nearer and dearer to my heart. And that's what has kept me from finishing it. But, over the last month or so, I put on my big girl panties and got down to business.

Wait!! That didn't come out right. What I mean to say is, I'm a writer and a writer doesn't not write a story because it's hard or because they're worried they won't get it right. You just work that much harder while writing the story. So far it's going well. I'm exhausted every night from working, but it's a good exhausted. And this is quickly becoming my favorite story. I'm sitting at close to 19,000 words as of today but this has to be done by the end of Feb. as I have big plans for it. I'm going to a conference in Dallas at the end of March and want to pitch it to an agent. And I want to submit it to a couple places. I'll keep you guys posted as to how the story's going. Please keep your fingers crossed for me :)

What I Did Over the Summer

I can’t believe school starts next week. And I can’t believe my baby starts Kindergarten. I’ve known this day was coming for some time. And I’m really excited about it. But we just had such a fantastic summer, the time has flown by.

We went to Cincinnati Ohio for my first ever conference, to Chicago to visit a friend eat hot dogs and swim at a beach, Indianapolis to visit the children’s museum, and to the local pool more times than I can count. My youngest had his very best friend over to say goodbye before he, the friend, moved across the country. We had a sleep over with the nieces. We went to see Toy Story 3, Last Airbender, and they went to see Sorcerer’s apprentice last weekend. I visited my home town twice and ate at the pizza place where my husband I met both times (which is a lot for me seeing as I don’t make it back to my home town at all some years). Oh, and I submitted my first ever completed novel. That was just last week though so I’m not expecting to hear anything back anytime soon.

Yeah, it’s been a fun summer, but I think I’m ready for school. I think I’m ready to have a quiet house. And I think I’m ready for my baby to be a Kindergartener J

Beautiful vs. Sexy

So, on Facebook, I’ve seen several posts lately that’ve made me stop and think. They start out with something along the lines of: Look for a man who finds you beautiful not sexy. Then they go on into a list of actions or qualities that make a man the ‘perfect’ type man. And every time I read one I have the same question. What makes beautiful better than sexy?

My first reaction was that sexy, being more of a physical attribute, somehow objectifies the woman. But, as I thought about it more, I realized that there are thousands of things that people find sexy that have nothing to do with appearance. Like I love to watch sci-fi and sports. Some men find that sexy in a female, but it has nothing to do what I look like. So why is sexy wrong?

Now, I don’t usually obsess over silly Facebook posts, but as I kept seeing this message repeated and rephrased it kept digging at me. So I started going through examples of what I’d find ‘sexy’ and what would be ‘beautiful’. And the main difference between the words I came up with is that ‘sexy’, to me, implies some level of arousal where as ‘beauty’ doesn’t necessarily.

Men on motorcycles are sexy. A dress hanging in the store is beautiful. A verse from a poetry book is beautiful. Tattoos are sexy. But that only left me more confused. Why wouldn’t you want your mate to find you arousing? I’m not sure I’ll ever have this one figured out. Maybe you can help me to understand. Why should I wait for a guy who calls me beautiful instead of falling for one who finds me sexy?

Karma and Answered Prayers

My mother always told me to be careful with my prayers. Some things, she'd tell me, can only be given through work and sacrifice. Like patience. It can't be given. It can only be strengthened by working through trials that test it. I knew she was right. And I'd pray anyway. 'Cause I really need to work on my patience. And, as I think any of my writer friends can attest to, I fell into a line of work that's giving me plenty of trials and tests to strengthen that virtue :)

I think the same can be said about Karma. I'm a firm believer that you reap what you sow in life. Not only that, but that you find what you're looking for. The trick is knowing what you're asking from the universe. Just because you tell yourself you want a peaceful life, doesn't mean that's what you're actions are telling the cosmos you desire. And sometimes, just as with patience, some things can't just be given, they have to be worked for.

I used peace because that's what I'm searching for. What I realized this week was I wasn't really working for it. There are certain people in my life that I allow to bait me. But I didn't realize this was a problem because I rarely ever rose to the bait. I'd just ignore their taunts. Or, at least, I'd ignore them publicly. In my heart, I'd still let them dig at me. I was giving the illusion of peace without really living it.

I'm not sure how you get past the sting of an insult. I'm not sure how you really truly let some comments go. I mean, I know intellectually that you accept some people aren't going to like you and don't give their words weight. It's the emotional aspect I'm having a hard time with. I'd like to think this post is the first step. Knowing I have to let go of the anger and resentment if I'm going to find peace. Something tells me meditation and limited time with those who are baiting will be the second. The third? I'm not sure yet. Hopefully it'll come to me when I'm ready for it.